Newport 6-year-old finds solace in the sea

Feb. 15, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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James Newman, a 17-year-old Newport Harbor High student and member of the surf team, meets Alex Chery, a 6-year-old from Newport Beach who has cerebral palsy, every Wednesday for surf lessons. LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, PHOTO BY LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Jacob Meinke, 10, helps Alex Chery, a 6-year-old from Newport Beach who has cerebral palsy. Chery has been taking surf classes since October, and just a few weeks ago started standing up with the help of instructor James Newman. LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, PHOTO BY LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Alex Chery, a 6-year-old from Newport Beach who has cerebral palsy, has found the "stoke" of surfing during his Wednesday surf class put on by Endless Sun Surf School. LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, PHOTO BY LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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James Newman, a 17-year-old Newport Harbor High student and member of the surf team, helps Alex Chery, 6, stand up on a wave on the south side of Newport Pier. LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, PHOTO BY LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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James Newman, a 17-year-old Newport Harbor High student and member of the surf team, helps Alex Chery, 6, stand up on a wave on the south side of Newport Pier. LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, PHOTO BY LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

James Newman, a 17-year-old Newport Harbor High student and member of the surf team, meets Alex Chery, a 6-year-old from Newport Beach who has cerebral palsy, every Wednesday for surf lessons. LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, PHOTO BY LAYLAN CONNELLY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Most other kids in the after-school surf program have sprinted to put on their wetsuits as Alex's fragile legs navigate the small sandy bumps, his determined eyes set on the surf.

Alex was born with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects motor skills and physical development. The only time the 6-year-old frees himself from the clunky walker is when he's in the ocean, a place he's become more comfortable with than dry land.

"It's really good for my body," he explains in a soft voice before hitting the surf on the south side of the Newport Beach Pier. "Surfing helps me walk, because it gets my legs stronger by moving. It makes me have more ability."

His father, Anthony, said Alex has had a passion for the water since he was a small child. The father and son spend weekends in the ocean, sharing a big board on their bellies on most days. Alex has stood up on a wave with the help of an instructor in Cabo San Lucas.

"He loves it," Anthony Chery said. "He likes to go out in the water and play in the waves. He has no fear of the water whatsoever."

Since Alex was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which leaves his limbs weak because muscles don't develop in parts of his body, his father has spent countless nights lying awake wondering how his son would be able to integrate socially, perform academically, and if the limitations would affect Alex's ability to live a normal life.

"I think about my own life – it's enough of a struggle when you don't have anything holding you back," Anthony Chery said. "But in Alex's mind, he's had so many opportunities, he doesn't see himself differently from any other child."

Anthony Chery admits he was a bit worried when Alex came home in October saying he wanted to join the Newport Elementary surf team.

"I was a little concerned there would be no way for him to participate," Anthony Chery said.

Surf coach Amy Lowry with Endless Sun Surf School said she, too, was surprised – but also excited – when Alex expressed interest in the surf class, which meets every Wednesday after school.

The coaches asked James Newman, a 17-year-old who surfs on the Newport Harbor High School team, to be Alex's personal instructor.

"It's great when you give lessons and the person loves surfing as much as you do," Newman said.

"Out of any elementary kid I've ever met, he just has the most heart and I just love hanging out with him."

Just two weeks ago, the two boys stood up on a wave for the first time, and since then have been able to catch many waves during their afternoon sessions.

"The first time I stood up, I felt kind of scared," Alex said.

On a recent day, Anthony Chery helps Alex get into his wetsuit before Newman and Alex head out to the surf, walking hand in hand. Soon, they are gliding together on a big foam board on the glassy water, farther out than the rest of the kids, waiting for bumps to show on the horizon.

As soon as a wave reaches the pair, Newman paddles into it and stands up, then gently lifts Alex so he, too, can stand. Newman clings to the younger surfer, who has a smile splashed across his face as they navigate around other kids in the lineup.

Anthony Chery beams with pride as Alex takes wave after wave that afternoon.

"Things like this reinforce his belief that he's equal to everyone else," he said. "He doesn't see himself being any different. He's just totally happy, he never wants to get out. It doesn't matter how cold it is, how windy it is, how sloppy it is.

"For some reason, there's this gravitation to the water."

Alex said he has dreams of being a surf coach one day, and hopes to help his 3-year-old brother learn how to take on waves.

Lowry said that after every class, Alex says the same thing after getting out of the water: "This is the best day of my life!"

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